After noticing the popularity and catchy title, I picked up Atom Habits written by James Clear. To put it briefly, it was a moderate disappointment. The book is undeserving of a full read for most people, which is better than I can say about most self-help books since they give harmful advice. The actual substance of the book could be drawn from reading the end chapter summaries and it would save the reader a gross amount of time. The prose was simple and the anecdotes weren’t horrible. However, it does suffer from some pseudo-psychology and lacks compelling arguments when an original idea is presented. I suppose it’s for the casual reader that wants a feeling of motivation; but investing more than a half hour into the book would be a waste of time. Fleeting motivation inspired from books doesn’t cause change. Often it is other factors either deeper or external that need to be changed. Some tools such as time management, better emotional intelligence tools, and task prioritization actually help. Books like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and this all hold the same message, most can be skimmed and the summaries do more than enough if the reader is already a semi-functional adult. Reading a book created by a psychologist or behavioral scientist would be more interesting, as habit formation and addiction are fascinating parts of the human condition.